Claudio Carvalho The teenager Mary Gibson (Kim Hunter) is summoned by the dean of her private school to come to her office. Mary learns that her tuition is late since her sister Jacqueline Gibson (Jean Brooks), who is an industrialist of cosmetics in New York, is missing. Mary decides to travel to New York to seek her sister out. In her search for Jacqueline, she meets the lawyer Gregory Ward (Hugh Beaumont), who married her sister, and the psychiatrist Dr. Louis Judd (Tom Conway), who seems to know Jacqueline's whereabouts. She discovers that Jacqueline's factory now belongs to her manager and a mysterious private eye offer to look for Jacqueline. Soon Mary learns that her sister joined a secret society that worships the devil that wants to kill her since she has disclosed their existence. What will Mary do?"The Seventh Victim" is a messy, boring and annoying film of horror genre at least in 1943. The plot is confused and senseless, with silly and ridiculous situations and dialogues. Kim Hunter in the role of a naive teenager is funny. Do not try to watch this film if you are tired; otherwise you will certainly nap. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "A Sétima Vítima" ("The Seventh Victim")

Leofwine_draca A dark thriller from the popular '40s pairing of director Mark Robson and producer Val Lewton. This relies heavily on atmosphere to unsettle the viewer instead of any visual effects; in fact, there are no special effects at all in this film. There are no monsters, ghouls, ghosts, or spirits. In fact, only two people get killed in the entire thing. Therefore this film might be inaccessible to the latest crazed horror fiend who has been brought up on blood, guts, and more blood. Personally, I found this to be a creepy little low-key thriller.While the Satanic plot may be nothing new, in some ways this film is very different indeed. For instance, the Satanists are depicted as a genteel, tea-drinking group who hate violence, not the typical robed maniacs with huge sacrificial knives. Therefore, the baddies in this film are more chillingly realistic than you might imagine, they could be your fellow workers or neighbours. This was one element of the film I liked. The acting is all above average with the cast giving subtle performances, from a youngish Tom Conway who fits the role of a stern British doctor to a tee through to Isabel Jewell as the surprisingly likable female lead, who gets to be tough and assertive in some scenes, which makes a usual change from the usual role the girl was relegated to in this period - a screaming victim.It's also a plus to have Val Lewton on board, who once again includes much of his own unique visual style. Shadows are used heavily (the very best is made of the black and white) to suggest menace, and it works, making the viewer feeling disquiet and nervous, instead of having in-your-face shock horror, the sort with which we bombarded these days. The strong visual imagery - the horror of the swinging noose - plus the oodles of atmosphere help to lift the plodding plot, which has to be said doesn't really go anywhere. And check out the ending - surprisingly downbeat for the time. THE SEVENTH VICTIM may be difficult to watch for some because it has dated somewhat today, but nonetheless the use of visual artistry is highly effective.

Aaron Igay Remember when satanic cults were full of straight-laced middle-aged men and women sitting around in parlors wearing ties and wide brimmed hats? No I don't either, but according to this film that was the modus operandi of a group called The Palladists in Greenwich Village. We've probably never heard about them because they have stricter rules than The Fight Club, if a member talks about the Palladists outside the group their days are numbered. This creepy horror noir is enjoyable and worth a watch. If nothing else to see Hugh Beaumont show off his acting chops before he was typecast as Beaver Cleaver's father Ward. As it turns out, The Palladists was the alleged name of a secret society in France in the 19th century, so this film could claim it was "based on a true story" if it wanted to. When one of the members asks for proof that good is better than evil, I for one wasn't convinced by the protagonist's response.

gavin6942 A young woman (Kim Hunter) in search of her missing sister (Jean Brooks) uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village, and finds that they may have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.Purported homosexual undercurrents run through the film and it has a generally dreadful story without the happiness that should accompany a film of its era. Today's audiences may not fully appreciate the darkness or the subtle sexual messages, but they are there and brilliant.This is one you need to see repeatedly to really get the depth and beauty. Lewton had a unique way to approach horror. He was given titles by the studio and was forced to make movies somehow related to the titles. Well, he did not go for the in-your-face horror. Even here, with a Satanic cult, it is not as obvious as we might see today.